Psychiatry & psychotherapy

96156 - RVUs & Medicare payment (2026)

Health behavior assessment or re-assessment.

Component	Non-facility	Facility
Work RVU	2.40	2.40
Practice expense RVU	0.80	0.18
Malpractice RVU	0.02	0.02
Total RVUs	3.22	2.60
National payment (CF $33.4009)	$107.55	$86.84
Qualifying APM payment (CF $33.5675)	$108.09	$87.28

How 96156 payment varies by locality

Medicare adjusts payment with geographic practice cost indices, so the same code pays differently across the 109 fee schedule localities. In 2026, non-facility payment for 96156 ranges from $103.46 in Arkansas (AR) to $149.07 in Alaska (AK); calculate 96156 for your locality.

Alaska (AK) $149.07 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) $127.87 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) $127.78 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (CA) $125.76 San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley (CA) $125.74 Napa (CA) $120.77 Vallejo (CA) $120.74 NYC Suburbs/Long Island (NY) $118.30 National average $107.55 … 97 more localities between … Alabama (AL) $103.92 Rest Of Missouri (MO) $103.85 Mississippi (MS) $103.66 Arkansas (AR) $103.46

Non-facility payment for 96156 in the 2026 fee schedule ($33.4009 conversion factor), before sequestration. Gray bar = national average.

Global period: XXX

No global period: the global surgery concept does not apply to this code.

Related codes - psychiatry & psychotherapy

90791 · psychiatric diagnostic evaluation, no medical services
90792 · psychiatric diagnostic evaluation with medical services
90832 · psychotherapy, 30 minutes
90833 · psychotherapy 30 minutes, add-on to an e/m visit
90834 · psychotherapy, 45 minutes
90836 · psychotherapy 45 minutes, add-on to an e/m visit
90837 · psychotherapy, 60 minutes
90838 · psychotherapy 60 minutes, add-on to an e/m visit
90839 · psychotherapy for crisis, first 60 minutes
90846 · family psychotherapy without the patient present, 50 minutes
90847 · family psychotherapy with the patient present, 50 minutes
90853 · group psychotherapy
96130 · psychological test evaluation, first hour
96131 · psychological test evaluation, each additional hour
96136 · psychological/neuropsychological test administration, first 30 minutes
96158 · health behavior intervention, individual, first 30 minutes

Frequently asked questions

How much does Medicare pay for 96156 in 2026?

The national non-facility payment is $107.55 and the facility payment is $86.84, using the standard $33.4009 conversion factor. Actual amounts vary by Medicare locality; use the RVU calculator for your area.

What is the work RVU for 96156?

The 2026 work RVU for 96156 is 2.40. Total RVUs are 3.22 in the non-facility setting and 2.60 in the facility setting.

Why are the facility and non-facility amounts different?

Only the practice expense component changes by setting. In an office (non-facility) the practice bears the overhead, so the PE RVU is higher; in a hospital or ASC the facility bills its own overhead separately.

Source: CMS Physician Fee Schedule relative value file (rvu26c.zip, retrieved 2026-07-11). Service description is an original plain-English summary, not CPT descriptor text. CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Amounts are estimates before sequestration and claim-level adjustments.